The Real McCoy?

Controversy over forged or fraudulent work is not new in the art and antique market. But technological advancements have resulted in a new reality for collectors: buyer be more than wary - because just about everything is suspect.

Private sales of artwork and antiques are on the rise and unseasoned collectors buying with abandon are fueling the market for forged artwork. The demand for scarce works coupled with the higher prices pieces are getting at auction, has created a forger’s paradise.

Any art object - painting, sculpture, ceramic or fine furnishing - can be forged. But some objects are harder to forge and sell than others. Fewer than one per cent of all stone sculptures are forged while about 10 per cent of all paintings are believed to be frauds. Some experts believe that as many as 40 per cent of all art and antique pieces on the market may not be what they appear to be.

Because the motivation for forgery is money, it occurs most often when the artist is well known and prices for their work are high enough to make copies profitable.

The range of forgeries extends from misrepresentations of a genuine work of art to the outright counterfeiting of a piece or style. The fundamental consideration in determining forgery is an “intent to deceive.” For example, the act of copying a painting may not be a forgery, but signing that copy with the name of the original artist is.

There are three basic types of forgeries: exact copies, new works that incorporate parts of original works and works in the style of an artist or period that are deliberately sold as such.

Exact copies are the easiest forgeries to produce and are the most common. The works of Salvador Dali and Marc Chagall have been copied for decades and sold as original prints, but there is also a burgeoning market in copied watercolours, etchings and drawings. Technological advances have made it easier for large numbers of high quality reproductions to be produced at low cost.

With Salvador Dali’s work, original prints that were authorized and signed by Dali were copied using a high quality copier. Only the quality of the signature and the type of paper identified the copies and few buyers could tell the difference. However, the scandal surrounding Dali’s work has become more serious with the arrest of his former partner over the creation of new original prints of produced from forged printing plates.

Composite fraud is more difficult to produce and harder to detect because it combines elements of an original work within the forgery. Hans Van Meegeren created numerous ‘Vermeer’ masterpieces by cutting heads, hands and other items from early Vermeer paintings and incorporating them into his own works. These composites were so convincing that some experts declared them to be authentic.

The most time consuming of all forgeries to produce and the most difficult to detect is one done in the style of a particular artist or period. In this case, the artwork or antique is created and sold as an original. Elmyr de Hory is renowned for his Picasso forgeries; after years of selling his own sketches and paintings as those of master painters, de Hory was arrested for forging work by Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani.

The history of forgery is long and as decades pass, those proficient in the crime get better and better. Technology allows them to create better copies in less time for less money, and current growth in the art and antique market is spurring them on.

But all is not lost. Forgers rarely have the scholarly background or the time and patience required to the combine the elements of a master work correctly, and it is their errors that eventually become their downfall.

Art forgery is a very real problem, but there are some ways buyers can protect themselves. Art and antique appraiser, Andrew Gibbs of Gibbs Appraisals, indicates that there are ways to limit the risk of ending up with forgeries.

“Most of all, don’t buy anything without doing some research,” cautions Gibbs. “Recognizing common subject matter, signature placement, mediums and materials used, and size an artist usually works in will help buyers separate work that looks right from work that does not.”

Documentation, or provenance, is one of the more useful ways to determine whether there is reason to be suspicious about a work. If the documents that attest to the history of the work are unavailable or suspect, then the piece may well be forged.

But Gibbs warns that provenance on a particular piece is not the final word on its authenticity. In some cases the original buyer has passed on an unknown forgery whose provenance seems more authentic as it gets handed down through generation.

For higher priced purchases, buyers may be better served by leaving the examination of a piece to an expert or appraiser. They are better equipped to perform physical testing and technical analysis using ultraviolet light, infrared rays and a variety of chemical tests. But despite the studies and technical tests available, forgeries will still be made. The demand for rare works of art has increased and although the element of risk can be minimized, it cannot be eliminated.

There are general tip-offs that enable even amateurs to pick the authentic from the awful among the most commonly forged items.

In original paintings, etchings and drawings, artists tend to stick to a common theme and structure in their work. Pieces that differ from the norm in style, subject and size should be examined more closely. Likewise, a work in watercolour from an artist that generally works in oil would warrant a second look. Technical differences such as the quality of a signature, its location in the work and the size and direction of brushstrokes can give away a forgery.

Because print artwork bears the exact same image as the original, the paper type, signature quality and image quality are the best tip-offs.

Forged antique furniture can be difficult to identify. Many pieces are reproductions that may be manufactured using different woods, alternate construction methods and a lack of decorative elements like carving. In other pieces extra holes, upgraded hardware or changes in stains indicate alterations.

Silverware and ceramics are most often created in the style of another more popular maker, but original pieces can also be altered by adding or removing markings. With reproductions a departure from a characteristic style, colour palette or glaze and a lack of detail in decorative patterns are causes for suspicion. If the colour in a piece of silverware or on the body of a pot is not uniform is may have been altered in some way. Lastly, an item meant for domestic use will show wear and therefore silverware or dishware that looks brand new, may be.

The best advice of all, however, may be to buy from a reputable dealer or consult a credible appraiser.

“The higher a buyer goes up the rung of respectability, the better protected they will be from forged art pieces,” says Gibbs. “A reputable dealer should offer to return the purchase price if the item turns out to be fake, but consulting an appraiser before making the purchase may help buyers avoid the item in the first place.”

The market for art and antiques continues to show little sign of caution, despite the publicity surrounding scams and scandals. Collectors seem to be willing to take risks in order to acquire great pieces from well-known artists, but ‘buyer beware’ remains a reality. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a small step back in order to get a better look when it comes to fine art and priceless antiques.

By Pamela Saunders